Path of the Hunters [PART 5] (NSFW)

She nuzzled him softly, trembling. "Would it be bad if I wanted Orion up before StarShine?"

*

She laughed breathlessly, licked his neck. "Your warm. Stay the hell there."

*

She nodded. "I know."

He sighed. He wanted nothing more than the chance to have a child to come that much sooner, but... "Star, I know you're anxious. I am just as much. But a lot of those kids need you..."

*

He laughed. "Fine. Can't move for shit, anyway."

*

"Good." He had reverted back to French. He looked over at the Laroche Elders, grumbled softly. "I know we worked them over pretty good, but this a taking a little too long."

"I know... While it's being rebuilt, I'll move them to DGCP. Random won't mind and they'll have a blast playing with everything..." She sighed.

*

"I noticed." Her tail wagged slightly, lazily beating against the bed.

*

"Yes, it is..." Frowning, she went to a sink, filled two cups with ice water. And unceremoniously dumped it on the pair of them. Every moment they spent asleep was a moment she lost with her children.

They both woke up spluttering, knives in hand. They both blinked upon realizing that neither had a single weapon.

"What is this?!" Lady Constance snapped.

"Don't worry, Star. With Sunny and Nova on our side, rebuilding will only take but so long.

*

"Well, I dunno... about you... but I'm beat." Having said that, he couldn't stem his happiness, shown by his own wagging tail. It had been a while seen he'd been in a real relationship... It felt good.

*

Crescent and Kane held sharp plastic knives at their throats. "Your audience has been requested," Kane said darkly. "I suggest you cooperate."

"Yeah..." She smiled, nuzzling him. "I don't want Trip to know until it's all over, okay? I don't want him to worry or get his hopes up."

*

She grinned. "So am I." But damn. He actually trusted her enough to be in an actual relationship. That was a huge ego boost. And... It just made her happy.

*

Lord Roland began to move his head forward, but Aurélie moved Kane's blade from his throat quickly. "Crescent, move your blade," she snapped, but her eyes were on Kane. "You should know the training of the Laroche elders. When captured, die."

"Aurélie..." Lady Constance breathed. "You traitor. How dare you?"

"I understand." He laughed breathlessly. "Still, the idea alone blows my mind."

*

He laughed. "Damn. I'm whipped... but I'm too happy... to feel sleepy.... How 'bout you?"

*

Crescent removed her blade from the Elder's throat, glared at them. What kind of backwards training was that? Train to kill, but readily die if captured?

Kane averted his gaze. "Even back then, that was one rule I hated."

"Constance, dear, relax," Lord Geoff said. "She had her reasons, just as the rest of them did."

She smiled, hugging him tightly.

*

"Yeah... Your fault."

*

"Geoff!" She surged to her feet, growling. "What is going on he-" She broke off, taking a full step back when the Tuefel blade struck the middle of the table.

Lord Roland leaned forward, baffled. "This is impossible. That is the Tuefel blade. Was it not destroyed?"

"Obviously not." Lady Constance perched on the edge of her seat, gazing at the bronze blade. "How did you get your hands on it, Aurélie?"

"Aurélie?" she repeated. "Not traitor?"

"Silence, you idiotic child!" Now it was Roland who got to his feet. "The three of us agreed to have that blade destroyed because of what it does to people!"

He smiled, nuzzled her. "Two months. That's including our vacation, honeymoon, and reconstruction. We won't have to wait much longer."

*

He laughed. "Yeah. Probably shoulda waited 'til later."

*

"Suffice it to say, I failed," Lord Geoff said calmly. "The blade was stolen by an American, all those years ago. I had hoped that, all the same, we would not see that accursed blade again."

"Then you failed again," Kane said. "It later fell into my possession, though I soon rid myself of it. Later again, it is now in Aurélie's."

Lord Geoff looked at the wolf, smirked. "So explains the power of the infamous Blood Moon Kane."

Star pressed a hand to her stomach, purring softly. She was going to have a baby... And it wouldn't be torn from her. It wouldn't be secretly hated... It would be loved and it would be theirs.

*

"Pfft. You wouldn't've gotten ten out of me waiting til later."

*

"You lied to us," Constance growled, furious. "You said you had done it!"

"Should have known not to trust you..."

"Because he is Baudoin?" Aurélie asked.

"No because he is a bastard. A slick, sex-crazed bastard." Constance folded her hands, frowned.

The spaniel was furious. "If you all know of Tuefel's true story, why are you still feuding?!"

Cross laid a hand over Star's, snuggled close to her. He could finally leave behind the hatred he felt towards the one that did this to her... It didn't matter, anymore... She was going to be just fine.

*

"Damn straight. But now we got nothin' to but try to doze off."

*

"Because neither side is still willing to accept the other," Geoff said, growing a bit stern, while staring down the Laroche elders. "Now, sex-crazed, yes; bastard, considering I laid with my own granddaughter; However, when it comes to those under my command, everyone has a specific job. Those in business strictly handle business; hunters hunt; trappers trap; killers kill; and so on.

"On the other hand, you train your children to do nothing more than kill. That is all you know. However, when captured, you do nothing more than curl into a ball and die! Not only that, every one of you lays with your own kind, and those that aren't born of such relationships are considered 'impure' or 'tainted'! Your backwards training methods and incestuous behavior disgust me!"

She smiled gently. "I love you."

*

"Seems like."

*

"When captured, you do what you are able to escape. If you do not, preserving the Laroche secrets is what matters." Roland glared at him. "And we do not only train to kill."

"You didn't even try to escape," the spaniel pointed out.

"We are Elders," Constance pointed out. "Now, then, you wish to end the feud? Fine. It is impossible. You must start with the youngest, hope they are not corrupted by those older, and work your way up. Very few will stop their fighting."

"Did you order your people to attack me and mine?" she snapped.

"You are a traitor to the clan." Roland shrugged. "Of course we did. Those surrounding you - they could go either way. There is a bounty on this one." He nodded in Nova's direction and all Laroches know of you, Amile. Your head would be worth quite a bit."

"So the Baudoin sent his to observe, you send yours to kill..." She sighed. The bloodthirsty nature of her family was not only limited to half-breeds...

Constance nodded. "Of course. And to call them back would need a very good reason."

"I love you, too." He softly laid them back on the bed. "Get some sleep."

*

He shrugged. "Oh, well. Not like we can move, anyway."

*

Finally, Kane had enough. He slammed the dark Akira blade into the table next to the bronze Teufel one. "There's your strong enough reason. That blade was forged containing the tainted power of the Teufel blade! I have five others like it."

Nova slapped his head to his face. Dammit, Kane! What was he thinking!?

She snuggled close, smiling. "You, too."

*

She smirked. "Not yet, anyway."

*

"The Akira," Roland mused, studying it closely. "Fascinating."

"How did you all not have to create blades?" Aurélie murmured.

"Because we keep the memories," Constance murmured. "It gives us all bad moments at times, but it is better than splitting our soul into pieces, into more cursed weaponry."

"Of course. Sweet dreams."

*

"Body's startin' to wake up, huh?" he mused.

*

Kane growled. "So you steal the humanity of countless others, instead of having your own stolen!? You're all selfish bastards!"

"Kane!" Nova commanded. "Don't do anything else rash."

Seething, The scarred wolf stalked off, Aurore trailing worriedly after him.

"Do you see what it causes?" Geoff said seriously. "Yes, you are rid of the maddening memories, but your fractured soul pushes you into insanity still. And those that use the cursed blades of your handiwork become cursed as well."

"That's not true," Crescent spoke up. "I have been using some of Kane's blades for over a year, now. I have felt no curse of any kind. As far as I know, the same could be said for Aurélie."

Nuzzling close, the hedgecat drifted off.

*

"Some." She felt like she was getting a second wind.

*

"Kane has said that his blades are imperfect. It is different for him. You would have to use all five." Aurélie sent Nova a look. She wouldn't have to make any blades, she realized. She wouldn't have to risk it.

"So what is it you want?" Constance inquired. "You want us to call off our men - fine. We need a reason."

"I..."

"Baudoin's reasons are simple," Roland continued. "They aren't following his orders - back they come. Our people are following ours as they always have."

With a reverent sigh, the echidna found himself taken by sleep, and blissful dreams.

*

"Good." He grinned, feeling his own drive return.

*

"How about the genocide of your entire clan?" Geoff mused, looking over at Kane. "He has that look, a look I've only seen once before, in a mirror. He looks ready to destroy our entire clan, and rip his soul into shreds... And I think he could do it." A bloodthirsty grin passed his features for a second...

"Don't even think about it, Baudoin!" Nova held a blade to the man's head. "Look Laroche, you can send all the men, women, and children you want after us. We won't be taken down. You'll just be sending countless lives to the pyre, to satisfy your own selfish desires."

She smirked, tail again thumping on the bed.

*

Roland and Constance both growled. "Geoff, you-"

"The Baudoin and the Laroche in America have been working together," Aurélie pointed out. "Under the current system, that is an offense. Punishable by death. You would kill so many?"

Constance laugh was humorless. "If we attempted it, there would be mass protest. More and more would try and..." Her face cleared. "I see."

The grip returned in his fingers, and he grinned. "Not much longer now. So, how 'bout start gettin' to know each other?"

*

Geoff chuckled darkly. "Yes... The Revolution is already at hand. Personally, I could care less who my men work with, or who they lay with, for that matter. But tell me Laroche Elders, would you light the fires of a revolution, just to follow tradition?... Or would you call the whole thing off, and stomp out the small embers left behind?"

"I already know tons about you," she pointed out, fingers trailing up and down his back.

*

"Idiot," Constance murmured, thinking.

She and Roland exchanged glances. "If we did it..."

"They would overthrow us."

He rose and crossed the room and, for the first time in years, took her hand. "Constance." He murmured something that had her nodding.

"Then it is decided," she said.

"Really?" He smirked, hands snaking down her sides. "Did you know that, in all my gang life, I've never been locked up? Not even juvie or probation."

*

Nova's eyes narrowed, his blade locked at Geoff's forehead. Something was always off about the Baudoin Elder, but even still...

She grinned. "Elusive or too smart to do anything real stupid?"

*

"To end the feud without discernible reason would cause confusion. Mistrust. They would think us brainwashed and kill us in our sleep," Constance said.

"Yes. But to allow the people to choose change... We could also change the way we rule, keep our lives." Roland sat beside the woman, leaving his hand in hers. "The Laroche way is broken - we are not foolish enough to not know this."

"A bit of both. Ever seen The Inside Man? Pulled something like that, on a smaller scale once."

*

Geoff smirked. "So, instead of keeping them caged up, and slaughtering those that escape, you'll give them complete freedom?"

Nova glared at the collie. Just what was he planning?...

"Nice." She licked his neck. "So what finally dragged you out of it all?"

*

Roland's back stiffened, his grip on Constance's hand tightening. "How dare you?"

"And let them go to you?" She growled. "We would sooner kill you and begin a true feud."

"Ms. Perfect. Pretty much the main reason I was in gang life to begin with. That whole mess put me in a hole, a deep one. Lucky me, I had a friend in the Valley that helped me crawl out, along with Nova and the rest of Orion. After that, I went straight." He nipped her ear.

*

Geoff chuckled. "Oh, relax. I was merely joking. On the other hand, we really should consider some kind of alliance. When it comes down to it, we both want the same thing, just different ways of getting to it."

Nova's grip on his blade tightened. Did he know something important?...

"Shit. Makes my drama seem like nothin'."

*

"This is true..." Roland said quietly.

"Our way means we will not die," Constance muttered.